Meter-support.



byMwMaTm F. E. CHASE.

METER SUPPORT. APPLIcATlon FILED mw2n1914.

VVfne-szses. l InvenTor. fl Frank E. Cha

Awvs' T0 all whom t may conc-em f UNITED ,STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

, FRANK E. CHASE, 0F DAN'V'EBS, MASSACHUSETTS,

A METER-SUPPORT. n

Be it known that I, FRANK E. CHASE, a citizen of the United States, residing' at Danvers, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Meter-Supports, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a speciiication, like characters on the drawing representing llike parts.

This inventiony 'relates to a support for meters adjustable to suit meters of different types and of different sizes. Corporations supplying electric current to the public for light and power usually provide meters located on the premises of the consumers to determine the amount of power used. The

' equipment'especially the wiring is permaiao nent in character and is used for a long time without substantial alteration. Because of the permanent character of the wiring and equipment and on account of the improvements and'changes in meters and the wearing out of meters it usually happens that the meters are replaced several times during the life of the equipment and usually by meters of a diifereiit size or style. The meters are usually provided with a fastening device positioned at thetop of the meter adapted to hook over the head of a screw-andwith twofspaced holes through which screws are passed and secured in the support but no uniformity exists in the positioning of these holes relative to the fastening device. It is necessary, therefore to drill new holes each time that a new meter is installed. This involves considerable trouble and inconvenience for the reason that the support to which the meter is secured is usuallymade of hard freproof material such as iron or composition. It is also necessary when installing meters initially to adapt the support to the meter and since different types of meters are installed under different conditions of service, it is not possible when supports of usual design are used to carry one standard support which may be used with the several types of meters.

Accordingly this invention has for an object to provide a support which will be adaptable to receive meters of different types without the necessity of drilling new holes or otherwise mutilating the support. In accordance with my invention, I provide a support wluch may be made of any suitable material having one fixed fastening device to providey a fixed point of attachment for Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led May`27, 1914. Serial No) 841,356.

Patented Aime, 1915.

the `meter and'having two adjustable fastening devices to attachment. j

The nature and objects of the invention provide adjustable points of will more fully appear from the followingy specification and accompanying drawing, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawing in which Iihave illustrated a selected embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is a plan view of the device, a meter being illustrated as attached thereto; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device showing another type of meter attached thereto, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the slidable fastening member taken on the line 4-4 Fig. 1. Referring to the drawing in detail, 1 designates the base which may be conveniently stamped from sheet metal or may be made of other fire-resisting material. This base may be secured to a wall or other fixed support by any convenient means as by screws 2 and is provided with holes at its four corners for this purpose. I have illustrated in Fig. 1V va meter 3 as secured to thesupport. The meter is provided as usual with a plate 4, secured to its back and having a key-hole slot 5 therein to provide means'whereby theV meter may be fixedly attached to a support. I provide a screw 6, secured in the base over the head of which, the plate 4 may be placed, thus providing a fixed point of attachment for the meter. In practice the base is usuprovides a simple and convenient means whereby the metermay be hung upon the support, the meter thus being held position while the other fastening devlces are attached.

Meters are almost universally provided with fastening devices, the equivalent ofthe plate shown at 4 in Fig. 1 and are also provided with lugs having screw holes such as those indicated at 7 and 8. By my invention I provide adjustable fastening devices or adapters by which the meter may be'se-- cured to the `base by screws extending through these holes but without the necesally fixed to a wall and this screw and plate on -the links. The blocks are drilled and tapped as indicated at to receive screws 17, 18 extending through the usual holes in lugs 7 8 on the meter. The blocksmay be slidably connected to the links in any suitable manner. I have illustrated a preferred ormof block in Fig. 4 the link being slotted and the block iitting around the link and in the slot. By swinging the'links and adjusting the blocks to the proper position thereon, the threaded holes in the blocks may be brought directly beneath the screw holes in the lugs of the meter and the screws may readily be inserted. A lprotecting plate 19 is provided as usual, which fits over the points of attachment for the conductors and also tits over the heads vof vvthe screws fastening .the meter to the links. This plate is of the form usually provided with fmeters of all l mutilating the seal.

descriptions'to prevent tampering with the meter and is usually sealed in place so that the meter cannot be tampered with without In ltig. 3 I have illustrated a d iEerent form of meter as attached ltoA the device merely to indicate the adaptability of the device. It Iwill be seen I have thus provided an adjustable support by which meters of various typesmay be readily attached withoutpermanent mutilation of the support and without the drilling of new holes for meters of dierent types or of dierent sizes.

`'Ihe device is simple and can be cheaply manufactured the cost not being materially more'than that of the support usually provided to satisfy the requirement of the re regulations.

. the meter.

2. An adjustable support for meters comprising a base, a fastening device thereon providing a fixed point of attachment for a meter, and a pair of adjustable fastening de.- vices thereon spaced from said first mentioned fastening device comprising transversely adjustable members having means ,providing longitudinallv adjustable attachment for the meter.-

'3. A. support for meters comprising a base, n -a `projecting fastening devlce fixed point of attachment for a .v `j

thereon to provide a meterfa pair of slotted .links permanently and pivotedly connected to said base and blocks slidably mounted on said links and having holes tapped to receive screws to provide adjustable points of attachment for the meter. Y

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 'name to this specification, inthe presence ot two subscribing witnesses. j

FRANK E. CHASE.

Witnesses:

Maumee B. Iimvluaas'.,l QI. Morena. Forma.. 

